The present invention is in the field of landscape architecture, and pertains more particularly to garden border fencing systems.
The art of landscape architecture, the development and decorative planting of gardens, yards, grounds, and other planned outdoor spaces, is used to enhance a natural outdoor setting and to create or enhance a natural setting for buildings, recreational parks, and areas of towns and cities where a more natural or more pleasing appearance is desired. The re-creation, enhancement or alteration of existing landforms covering a large area such as a park or urban area is often the purpose of such landscape design, but is also very often applied to a smaller, more intensively cultivated area or garden, frequently created around or near a domestic building such as a home, or some other smaller structure.
Historically, such smaller gardens have been designed more for private then for public pleasure, and such landscape gardening, having its beginnings with ancient civilizations each developing their own characteristic garden designs, has evolved and diversified over the centuries to provide enhanced settings for many different cultures and traditions. Very often the aesthetic aspects of a garden or landscape include living shrubs, trees, bushes and the like, and can also include water such as lakes, streams or ponds. Flowers or other plants are also widely used for their pleasing colors or scents, and a large variety of artificial devices such as decks, pavement, terraces and so on are also commonly used. The importance of man-made components relative to natural components varies according to the designer, the purpose of particular site, and the prevailing culture and fashion.
In many applications of domestic landscape gardening, particularly those designed around or near a home, for example, there is a need for providing protection, such as from trampling or other damage, to many of the various plants, shrubs, or flowers that may be used. This is especially true when foot traffic or pets are often prevalent in the immediate area. Additionally, the landscape designer, for safety reasons, may wish to define a border providing separation between areas of the landscape garden, for example a small pond or flower bed, and an area such as a back lawn in which small children or pets may be present. In this case border fencing is often used to provide such separation between the landscaped area and public area, thereby reducing the possibility of accidents.
Such modern fencing as described just above largely consists of mass-produced, and often poorly constructed, stretches of metal, lumber, or wire, bearing little or no direct relationship to either the garden or architecture whose boundaries they are intended to define. One such example of a type most commonly used in gardens is an array of pickets, often having shaped tops, attached vertically to upper and lower horizontal beams which are subsequently attached to supporting posts permanently inserted into the ground. Such picket fencing exists in many different variations, and is often manufactured of wood but can also be of such materials as plastics, aluminum or a wide variety of other common materials.
One reason for the popularity of picket fencing is that because the spacing between pickets permits a flow of sunlight making it is possible to grow plants or flowers, for example, on either side of the fence. A major drawback with this type of fencing, however, is that regular upkeep such as periodic repair or painting is often required, particularly for poorly constructed mass produced wooden picket fences common in today""s marketplace. Another common problem in using such a picket fence is that it in order to follow sharp angles or curves as defined by the proposed borderline, many smaller sections of picket fencing as well as posts are required, adding to the overall cost of installation and maintenance.
Other types of smaller and less expensive fence designs also exist, consisting of prefabricated lightweight sections, typically made of wood or plastic, each having elongated end posts enabling the section to be inserted into the ground. The finished fence is achieved by inserting subsequent sections into the ground, end-to-end along the defined border line, until the end point is reached. Such fencing is often used in temporary applications because of the ability to easily change the border definition by simply lifting fencing sections out of the ground and reinserting them in a different location. Also, such fencing is often the used more for its decorative rather than functional qualities, due to the often flimsy construction techniques and materials used in its manufacture, rendering it susceptible to jarring, displacement and deterioration. Such lightweight fencing therefore typically does not provide an adequate barrier when protection to landscape components or persons or animals is desired.
Ornamental fencing, also commonly used in many landscape designs such as described above, is commonly manufactured of metal such as iron or steel, and is widely popular for its decorative qualities as well as strength and durability. A typical ornamental fence consists of an array of bars, which can be round, square, flat or of many other shapes, and are usually interwoven or arranged in a pattern, and sometimes fastened to each other at meeting points within the design, typically using a variety of methods such as spot welding or riveting, for example.
In many designs of ornamental fencing the bars within the fence are arranged similarly to a picket fence as previously described, and supported by horizontal members which are attached to posts which may be inserted into the ground or otherwise attached to another supporting ground-level surface. Many other materials and methods are used in the manufacture of such ornamental fencing, including forged or cast steel or iron, aluminum and sometimes wood or plastics and so forth. A decorative coating, often applied using a powder-coating process known in the art, is commonly used to provide the ornamental fencing with color and a level of protection from the elements. Although the style of fencing described does often provide certain aesthetically pleasing qualities in many landscape garden designs, and usually allows for adequate sun filtration, it is often manufactured in prefabricated sections, heavy and cumbersome to handle and transport, and often requiring more elaborate processes, such as welding for example, during installation ,and is typically more expensive when compared to many other types of fencing appropriate for such a garden setting.
Stone, concrete or masonry are also materials commonly used to define a border in a landscape garden, and this kind of border is popular for its durability and low maintenance requirements, as well as the often-natural appearance of the materials used. However, unlike most picket or ornamental fencing, stone or masonry fencing usually does not allow sunlight to filter through, thereby possibly limiting the placement of plants or flowers to one side of the fence or the other. Additionally, the color choices available to the user is more limited without additional painting or staining. Another problem inherent to fences such as stone or ornamental wrought iron types as described is because of the permanency of the installed fence in many applications, any changes to the landscape or garden area, necessitating a redefinition of the border created by the fence, cannot be accomplished without a significant amount of rework involving considerable labor and time.
It is generally viewed in the art that one of the main purposes of any fencing should be not only for providing protection to landscape components and to persons or animals from potential hazards, but also to visually define the borders or limits of a particular area in a landscape while remaining an integral part of it. In order for a landscape or garden designer to accomplish this objective, the fence borderline needs to encompass the space clearly while relating cohesively to the entire landscape and architecture. Both a logical starting place and a sensible finishing point for a fence are required to provide what is to many an aesthetically pleasing design. It is preferable in many designs of landscape gardens for a structure, the side of a house or barn for example, to be the logical starting place for the fence which may be attached to the structure or not, and also for the fence line to run to a logical end point such as another structure, fence, or natural obstruction, for example. It is also desirable in many landscape garden designs to have a visual confluence of the fence and such natural objects as shrubs or bushes. In many cases a fence""s border line is designed to run directly through or at the edge of such objects.
Such aesthetic effects are often difficult to achieve using common picket, stone or wrought iron fencing such as described above, especially when there is no structure or other hard surface for use as a logical starting point, or when extremely dense shrubs or other vegetation prevent or inhibit the passage of such a fence. In many cases it may be necessary to remove a portion of shrub or bush in order to achieve the desired fence line and still maintain a level of visual confluence.
What is clearly needed is an improved ornamental garden border fencing system that is visually adaptable to a wide variety of landscaping styles and sturdy enough when installed so that an adequate deterrent is provided for separation of landscape components and persons or animals. Such a fencing system would provide a finished appearance and a logical starting and ending point, not reliant on structures or other hard surfaces, while enabling visual confluence with many landscape components. Such a fencing system also would easily adapt to sharp curves or angles in a defined border line, would be easy and economical for an average user to install and maintain, would allow for full sun filtration and enable the user to quickly and easily reposition the fence if desired. The present invention builds upon previous work in the art, providing solutions to many long-standing problems and limitations inherent in conventional garden fencing systems, and is described in enabling detail below.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a border fence is provided, comprising at least a first and a second substantially U-shaped element, each formed from an elongated bar and having an axis of substantial symmetry, the U-shape defining an upper curved portion ending in opposite legs extending in a first direction, each element further having a single passage through the bar positioned in the curved upper portion, offset to one side of the axis of symmetry, and facing in the first direction. The fence is characterized in that the first element is seated with both legs inserted in a ground material, the second element is seated in the same manner but with one leg inserted through the single passage of the first element, and any further element is seated with one leg inserted through the passage of an immediately preceding element.
In preferred embodiments the extended legs of individual ones of the elements are of different length and tapered at the free ends to facilitate insertion into ground. Also in preferred embodiments the passage in each element is offset to one side of the axis of substantial symmetry by a dimension such that with a leg of any one element passing through the passage of any other element, both elements may be seated at the same extended height above the ground material.
In some cases the elongated bar of individual elements is formed of a malleable metal, and the metal may be wrought iron. Elements may further be protected by application of a protective coating.
xe2x80x9cIn some embodiments there are elements with double passages, one passage offset to either side of the axis of substantial symmetry, with legs of other elements of the border fence passing through each of the double passages in forming the border fence. in some cases these double-passage elements are formed to make a corner piece at a predetermined angle, which may be ninety degrees. Terminal elements are also provided, having a single leg and no passage, and the terminal elements may be decorative as well.xe2x80x9d
In another aspect of the invention an element for a border fence formed of an elongated bar having a specific cross-section is provided, and comprising an upper portion curved through 180 degrees, having an axis of substantial symmetry and a passage through the bar of a size to pass the specific cross-section, the passage offset to one side of the axis of substantial symmetry, and two parallel leg portions extending on opposite sides away from the upper curved portion in the direction of the passage and in a plane including the upper curved portion.
In a preferred embodiment of the element the leg portions are tapered at the free ends and of different length to facilitate seating the element in ground. Also in a preferred embodiment the passage is offset to one side of the axis of substantial symmetry by a dimension such that with a leg of any identical element passing through the passage of the first element, both elements may be seated at the same extended height above the ground.
The element of the invention may be formed of a malleable metal, which may be wrought iron, and elements may be treated with protective coatings. In some embodiments of the element there may be two passages, one passage offset to either side of the axis of substantial symmetry. Further, the bar of the element may be bent at the axis of symmetry at an angle in a plane parallel with ground, forming thereby a corner element. The corner may be a square corner.
In embodiments of the invention, taught in enabling detail below, for the first time a border fence system is provided which is modular, inexpensive, durable, and easy to install.